Using scenarios in instructional design
Including scenarios in learning solutions really helps boost the interactivity and immersion level well beyond the average elearning course. However, the elearning scenario questions must be carefully designed to be realistic and effective.
In this article, I’ll discuss a few instructional design principles that I use to write effective elearning course scenario questions.
Draw on expert experience
Once I’ve decided on learning outcomes for a learning solution, I talk with the subject matter expert (SME) to find out the common challenges learners come across in those areas.
I ask the SME to describe things learners are often doing incorrectly and where people typically make mistakes. Discuss the common errors, realistic consequences of those mistakes, as well as the best ways to approach the situation. This information will be helpful when building the scenario.
Make them realistic, relevant and authentic
Scenarios need to be relevant to learners to be engaging. For effective learning, our learners must be able to easily imagine themselves experiencing in the scenario in real life.
During discussions with the SME (or other stakeholders), I ask if they have any real stories related to the content that they can share. Another way to gather stories is to observe and interview learners in their workplace, trying to understand their situation and perspective.
I try to find the grey areas, the unspoken assumptions, the awkward elements that exist in the task in real life. Bringing these to the forefront will help the learner engage with trickier areas of their job without the real-life consequences. I sometimes choose to limit the available options based on the assumptions the character has made, which lead to unintended consequences.
After the scenario is crafted, I check all details—stem, options, consequences, feedback, any graphics—resonate with both subject matter experts and learners.
Before and after the scenarios is written, check to ensure it is focused on the learning outcomes. It’s easy for a scenario to drift away from the original intention, so I look to ensure only content focussed on the end goal is included in the final product.
Tell a story
Filling the details of a scenario can provide authenticity, creating a story around the characters. Even for relatively dry content such as compliance training on policies, procedures or software, I like to find stories on how it impacts the learners in their jobs and develop scenarios around this.
As in many works of fiction, having a character develop as part of the story can add engagement. This is where the background details set up in the beginning of the scenario really help, as the transformation then feels more impactful.
Another option is adding a mystery to the scenario, an unknown element the learner needs to figure out. For example, why does this patient have these symptoms, whether an action is a breach of company policy, why is a piece of equipment not working, why is a customer behaving in a certain way?
Let learners fail
When creating elearning scenarios, it’s key to allow learners to fail! It’s through failure that learners will understand the consequences of making the wrong decision and the outcomes of that decision.
Giving learners an opportunity to solve a realistic problem before they’ve been given all the relevant background theory or information is a great way to make effective learning. This will create a desirable amount of “friction” in the learner’s mind and help with retention of the concepts.
This means we need to be prepared to allow the learners to fail through suboptimal choices, learning through consequences.
Don't make it clear cut
In life, many situations don’t have a clear “right” and “wrong” answer – instead varying shades of grey. A way to implement this and make an elearning course seem real, championed by Cathy Moore, is “show, don’t tell”. For example, simply providing the consequences of an action, rather than a “Correct!” or “Incorrect!” feedback response with why the response was right or wrong.
We can also consider a “good/better/best” consequence. For example, the learner solves a customer’s issue, but not in the optimal way, so the customer rates service as three out of five stars. We should also provide helpful feedback on what to do when those situations arise.
Delivering feedback in the form of these types of consequences allows the learner to draw their own conclusions and transfer the knowledge or skills to their life, not to be patronised as an adult learner by the simplified feedback. It also allows a scenario to flow from one decision to the next.
Another way to deal with questions with no clear “correct” answer is to poll the learners on what they think, before providing an expert opinion. Several elearning authoring tools include this valuable feature which can really lift a course to the next level.
Use planning tools
Some scenarios will benefit from having multiple steps. For example, if in real life people can make an error, but then rectify this later with another action, or if consequences might not be immediately apparent (e.g. eventual resignation of an employee, loss of a customer, security breach of IT system) In these cases, the scenario design might include a branching element.
Branching scenarios are much more time consuming to write but can be worthwhile. Planning tools help in the branched scenario design phase. These can involve digital options such as authoring tools or Twine, or low-tech options like sticky notes, blank paper or a whiteboard.
Summary
Scenarios designed using these principles can really life learning solutions to a new level. They can take dull content and make it engaging for the learners, asking them to reflect and apply their knowledge and skills in a safe environment.